I love some OREO dirt cake. Seriously. L-O-V-E. When I was a little girl my aunt would make dirt cake for every family get together and it was my all time favorite dessert. I mean, any recipe that includes an entire package of Oreo cookies ranks up there, am I right? When I grew up my aunt’s dirt cake recipe was the very first one I added to my own cookbook, and it remains to this day one of the easiest and most loved dessert recipes I have. It’s also one of this blog’s most popular posts so I know you will love this easy dirt cake recipe too!

So without further ado, this is my Aunt’s OREO dirt cake recipe and it is scrum-delicious. I hope you agree!

Crush Oreos. (I like to put mine in a gallon Ziploc bag and let the boys crush them with a rolling pin, just make sure the bag is all the way closed! If “the help” isn’t available I pulse them in my Ninja blender to get finer, more uniform crumbs.

Ingredients

Instructions

Cream together butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in mixer until blended. Do not over mix.

In a separate bowl whisk together pudding mix, milk, and Cool Whip. Add in cream cheese mixture and stir to blend.

Crush Oreos into fine crumbs.

Layer alternating between the cookie crumbs and pudding mixture and chill at least two hours before serving

Notes

Be sure to use INSTANT pudding mix. Allow time for dirt cake to chill at least two hours before serving.

Voila! Easy-peasy! I usually make mine in a trifle dish so I can see all the yummy goodness awaiting me but my aunt likes to serve hers in a clean terra cotta pot which is super cute! Gummy worms and a faux flower also maximize the cuteness when serving. My boys just love the gummy worms in the “dirt!”

I hope you love it-I’m not sure how anyone can not love dirt cake though! Let me know if you give it a try or if you have another variation!

Reader Interactions

Comments

I have made this recipe plenty of times and it is full proof even my toddler can make it LoL..I was just wondering could I do it a day ahead and leave it overnight in the fridge please let me know ASAP Thank you… Melissa😊

Yes you can totally do that! I make mine the night before and stick it in the fridge. On holidays I don’t have leftovers to bring home….but if I make a large amount for just my children & I, we get to have left overs for later 🙂 I normally put those back in the fridge and eat on it through the week. I think it actually tastes better If you make it the night before and eat it the next day. Gives everything time to form together as one. Yummy!!!

Our concept is already live in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Spain, and we deliver thousands of visitors to food blogs daily. Some of the top food blogs receive 20,000+ visitors from us on a weekly basis.

Stopping by from Triple T Mum. Thanks for sharing on the Kids Co-op! This looks so good I just have to feature it in my Kids Co-op Showcase this week and pin to Kids Co-op board. You might want to stop by and pick up a Featured at badge.

I am literally eating this right now!! I will never use another recipe again! This is totally reminding me of when I was in middle school and we made this for our bake sales! MMMMMMMMMMM totally delish! Thanks for posting this and having it wind up on Pinterest!!

@mommyofgoingon4 I’m SO glad you like it! It is seriously one of my weaknesses (along with French Onion dip!) I only allow myself to make it about 2-3 times a year because I can’t stop eating it once I start!

I’d say it could serve about 10 depending on serving size! Using different pudding will change the flavor a bit but give it a try! I recently made a peanut butter version with peanut butter oreos and it was great too!

I attempted this 2 times in 24 hours because I was supposed to bring dessert. Needless to say I wasted money that we did not have to have this dessert flop both times. I read the instructions and so did my mom, husband & grandma. We could not come up with any reason that the pudding did not form either time. I was so embarrased it’s not funny. I’m know if my family for my desserts and on Thanksgiving of all days I couldn’t deliver. I am very thankful that I know about this recipe before I tried to make it for my exstended family Chrismas party. I’d be really embarrassed infront of 300 people. Needless to say this link is getting taken off my FB & my favorites list. You apperently need to add more detail because there’s no reason I should have had to waste money for pudding soup.

I’m sorry you had such a problem with my recipe Jessica. This is the exact way I make mine every single time and I have never had an issue. I do not know what extra details I can add to the recipe as it’s very simple and many, many readers have had success with it as you will see from the comments. I wish you the best of luck in trying the other versions that you’ve found. ~Melissa

It’s 3.5 cups of milk Suzanne, listed in the ingredients-is it not showing up for you? Please let me know so I can fix it if necessary, I can see it on my end but stranger things have happened on the blog than things disappearing!

I bet she didn’t use instant pudding, she probably used the kind you have to cook. This recipe is practically fail proof if you are following directions. She definitely read something wrong or left something out. . This is one of the easiest things I’ve ever made and I make it all the time.

Dont worry. People will always find something to bitch about. Even if you went to there houses and made it for them. Its a great recipe and if they cant follow directions to make this, I’d hate to eat dinner at there house’s. Lol. Thankyou and happy Thanksgiving

I beat the cream cheese, butter and sugar. Then whisk 3-1/3c, milk with 2 small boxes of instant pudding mix. Add the two mixtures together, then fold in the cool whip. Alternate layers with the crushed oreos and the pudding mix, finish with the extra oreo crumbs.

I’m so sorry Bridget…for the life of me I can’t figure out why a few people haven’t had luck with the recipe-I’ve been using the same one for going on 20 years and have never had it turn out thin like that. Did you make any substitutions? I’m determined to figure out why a few people are having “soupy” results.

I’m sure these people that are having problems are actually making the pudding per the instructions on the back of the pudding box, then adding pudding to the recipe. That is not what you’re supposed to do. You simply pour the pudding powder in with the other ingredients listed on that step and mix. I guarantee you this is their problem!

I followed the exact recipe. I am definitely not a “natural” cook which is why I search out recipes. With that being said, I wonder if it has anything to do with the humidity of southern living. I have always heard it effects baking! Just a fat guess!

Hey there, me again! Did you chill the dirt cake before serving it? I recreated it tonight and I could see how it may seem thin as you are layering it but after chilling it per the recipe it was perfect. I made a video when I made it today and will add it to the post in the coming week to see if it helps. ~Melissa

I added another 8 oz cool whip and chilled it overnight. It did solidify after being in the fridge.
I suppose the other dirt cake recipe I had tried didn’t have the same consistency. I was looking for another one simply because the first one I tried left me with a lot of extra pudding mixture. You have been very helpful. I will view the video!

I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t turn out for you Bobbi but I wanted to thank you IMMENSELY because I have been trying to figure out for a year and a half why every now and then it doesn’t turn out for someone!!! It never occurred to me that I hadn’t specified Instant pudding because I’ve never bought the other kind myself! Thank you!

Hi Katrina, they are the smaller boxes, I don’t know what the exact size is but I am going to the store tomorrow and will look and update the post-looking online it looks to be the 3.4 ounce size. I’ll check for sure tomorrow though. Thanks so much for pointing that out so I can fix it! Take care!

We always use instant chocolate pudding instead of vanilla and it’s the best!! Also we use a pre-made oreo crust you can buy in the baking aisle. Then the mixture of pudding then the crushed Oreos on top. And some gummy worms if desired. Once you try it with chocolate pudding, you’ll never go back to vanilla 🙂

For those wanting a different flavor than the traditional vanilla/chocolate, I have used banana, peppermint, and strawberry extract in the pudding mixture. Will prob be using cherry next as my kids (5 Girls!) love this as their birthday cake. I use a garden pot (no holes on the bottom), a gardening trowel as the serving spoon, and each girl has their own set of fake flowers that goes in the pot on their birthday. I have been making this for years and it was previously made for me and my sisters by my parents when we were growing up.

Just a thought, what if people are adding the 3.5 cups of milk on top of the milk that the pudding calls for, that would be a reason why it’s extremely runny. Trying the recipe out right now!! Pinned it a few days ago and have been wanting it every time I see it on my Pinterest 🙂

This recipe is excellent. It is a lovely simple trifle recipe. You can use other cookies too. Pecan sandies with butterscotch pudding, vanilla wafers with banana pudding, etc are all excellent combinations. If using cookies other than those with a icing middle add melted butter and a small amount of sugar so there is some sticky body to the mixture to layer. Dirt cake is similar to the very well known Southern classic trifle Banana Pudding made with Vanilla Wafers which is served warm. These recipes are fun to experiment with to find your own favorite.

This is a good recipe. For those that think it is too runny. I only use 2 – 2.5 cups of milk because I like mine thick anyways. I also use 12 oz of cool whip instead of 8. I do one batch vanilla and one chocolate and layer with the chocolate on top.

You want to follow the directions as they are written. In one bowl, mix the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until it’s smooth. Don’t over mix cream cheese – that can also cause some of the runny/soupy results the previous commenters are saying they have had.

In another bowl, mix your milk and pudding together. I would then add the Cool Whip once the pudding and milk have combined.

Then you dump the pudding/Cool Whip mixture into the cream cheese mixture.

Hiya very cool site!! Guy .. Excellent .. Superb .. I’ll bookmark
your website and take the feeds also? I’m satisfied to seek out
numerous helpful information right here in the post, we
want work out more techniques on this regard, thanks for sharing.

I just wanted to say that mine turned out fine and I accidentally poured the milk in the cream cheese,butter and powdered sugar mixture Before I had creamed it…. I am having a Hectic Night been busy all day so I messed up!
Anyway,I just dumped in the pudding and I beat it like Crazy..lol
I then folded in the cool whip and it turned out Great!! Thank God!!
Thank you so much for this recipe it is So So Good!! Happy Thanksgiving!! 🙂

First….I love this recipe! The recipe actually says “Instant Pudding” so that’s not the problem. The reason why people are having “pudding soup” is because they’re making the pudding with the 2 cups of milk the box is requesting(which is a total of 4 cups for the 2 pudding boxes) AND…. they’re adding the 3.5 cups the recipe is requesting.

Thank you for sharing this recipe! I cannot wait to try it! I may have missed it, but do you have an idea of how many it will serve? I think I need to double the recipe but wanted to check if you had a guesstimate. Thank you!

So…just to clarify- I don’t need to boil the instant pudding powder/milk ahead of time? I’m just adding the powdery packets along with 3.5 cups milk and cool whip? I’ve tried both ways…the second time not doing any boiling-but it seemed super soupy (hoping as it chills it all thicken up) Then I started reading all the comments. But maybe the recipe could read “whisk pudding powder mix” for those that are confused like me 🙂

I’ll make that clarification Heidi. You don’t do anything with the instant pudding mix but whisk it into the milk and cool whip. It does thicken quite quickly when it chills-I just made this again for my husband’s military promotion party this past week!

I was living in Japan without an oven, but wanted to make a crowd-pleasing American dessert. I remembered loving dirt cake at birthdays as a kid and decided to try making it. I found your recipe, which is indeed wonderful, but did not have access to cool whip. Instead, I made homemade whipped cream (by hand since I had no blender/mixer). It worked out really really well.

I just made this today for the first time and I can’t for the life of me fathom how people are getting a soupy result out of this. Some people, I think, just need to stay out of the kitchen! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hmm it looks like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and
say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring
blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any
helpful hints for newbie blog writers? I’d really appreciate it.

Made this for a Halloween party I have for my niece & nephew & it turned out great. I used instant chocolate pudding instead of vanilla. We used Vienna finger cookies for tombstones & wrote RIP on them & put them in the pudding to look like a graveyard. This recipe is a keeper!

I really love this cake recipe. And you have made it with cream cheese icing, it’s really going to be awesome in taste.You have really done a nice job. As you have shared the best things for me. Even this recipes can be made in busy time also. It’s really special for me. thanks for sharing it here on this site.

Quick question.. if I chill this before layering, will the pudding layer be too thick to use with a piping bag? I’m going to be making the pudding a day ahead of time, and then layering the morning I need it so the Oreos don’t get soft. Thanks!

This IS the best dirt cake ever! I made it two weeks ago for one of my son’s birthday celebrations (he’s at the age where the are at least three occasions marking his birth) and my daughter whose birthday is today insisted this be her birthday cake. Thanks for the great and so easy recipe!

[…] Best Dirt Cake Recipe Ever from The Happier Homemaker is a a super fun recipe to cook with the kids! Serve this in a trifle dish and add a faux flower plus gummy worms to give it a whimsical ‘dirt-like’ effect! […]

[…] Peanut Butter No Bake Bars probably got just about the best reaction ever. I mean, I had made dirt cake the same day and they were still asking for these bars! Even my 6 year old who isn’t a huge […]

[…] were all set up and it was time to make the yummy part. Mmmmm, pudding. I used a recipe similar to this one to make my dirt pudding. I love it because honestly you can customize your dirt pudding however […]

[…] pie firmly screams DIRT CAKE in every which way. It’s actually very similar to my own Dirt Cake recipe (one of my blog’s most popular recipes) but with less ingredients! In fact, you only need 6 […]

[…] the side dish is covered, let’s get to the most important part…..dessert!! How about we try an Oreo Dirt Cake? The ingredient list includes Oreo cookies, vanilla pudding, powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese, […]